Jessy, I just knew you had nice 'buns'... LOL

Now direct me to the post with the recipe for the dough and instructions on how to steam them... That looks like something I could make for hubby ( minus the BBQ seasonings ) that I would truly enjoy... Looks really delicious!.. Is that pea pods, bock choy ( sp ), celery and wax beans????

Rita

Weeeee! Wonderful! How funny as well, because after typing up that recipe the other day, I had flower rolls on the brain and made them today...and forgot the baking soda slurry as well! LOL!

Now that you know how much the dough swells, you'll know better next time how thin to make it/how much meat to include.

Your steaming rack is great, and gives me an idea for next time. I don't have a bamboo steamer at present (my old one started falling apart), so today I just put a small tin can with both ends cut out in a pot of water and set a dish holding the buns on top of that. The ramekins & rack would be much more stable!

The Chinese put a lot of different things in their steamed buns, so I don't think chicken is a bad idea. One of my favorites is lahp cheung bao. Lahp Cheung is a Chinese sausage...it is a hard, cured sausage, that actually tastes sweet. It's also very greasy which is probably why I like it.

Congrats, they look yummy!

Rita, I used a combo of Rachel's instructions in the link below and another Chinese food site. I cut the dough recipe down to just over two cups of flour because I find thats enough for the four of us. Also, I used chicken thighs, but 'char sui' means pork in Chinese!

Rachel these were INHALED by the family and requested again, albeit with less dough to to meat ratio. We don't do pork (pseudo-kosher) so chicken fits the bill!

Here is a link that might be useful: Shaun's 'Late Night Wonders' thread - near the bottom

Thank you Dear Heart... I may give them a shot on Thursday.. Now about those veggies... lol

RachelEllen, I'm thinking the Flower Rolls would go great with beef or chicken stew... When I make stew with dumplings everything else ends up over cooked... lol

Rita

Ooops sorry Rita forgot to answer your question about the veggies - Trader Joes sells two types of mixed stir fry veggies. I'll look at the package next time I'm there - I just grabbed one of them.

Rachel I have to warn you, the ramekins rattled quite a bit while the water was boiling. DS #1 thought it was like calming music, LOL.

I'm also surprised the buns didn't split like in the picture I linked from the 'About' site. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing!

Next dim sum project - rice noodle rolls! But DS #2 may not like them....aw who cares.

Jessy - good looking buns! I'm impressed as I have yet to make those, although I have made steamed dumplings of the dim sum type. It is helpful to learn from your experiment that less dough may be "more."

Teresa

Jessy,I think some restaurants slash the top of the buns at some point, to get that "bursting open" look. I'm not sure if they do it before cooking or sometime during.

lol, I like your term, "pseudo kosher"...we were "intermittently kosher" when I was a kid, my mother's religiosity being a bit on the changeable side.

I can't help you with the rice noodles, as I have never made them, but there are plenty of recipes on line if you google Gee Cheung Fun.

Ah, I guess the ramekins would rattle at that. As I recall now, thats why I decided to cut both ends off the can the first time I improvised a steamer years ago. Tuna cans used to be perfect, but now most cans can't be opened on both sides, you have to search for cans that can. The grocery store here does carry water chestnuts in cans that can be double opened. I still like the rack idea though, and I think I have a round rack that will fit in my pot.

Rita, yes, they are good with stew or soups. One thing though, is I really don't care for them cold...the sesame oil just makes them feel greasy and the delicate sesame flavor is somewhat lost. However, the reheat in the steamer quite well. After making them again after so long, I've decided that next time I might sprinkle just a bit of sea salt over the top of them.

Jessy,
Next time, turn the ramekins right-side-up and fill them with water too??!?!?
Or is that too close to the buns?
Deanna

Deanna: my cake rack is footed, so I rested the 'feet' on the ramekin bases. Otherwise, you are right, it would be too close to the parchment paper.

Guess what happened? I went over to a friend's house the other day to help her hang a mirror and I noticed that she had the old, Time Life series, "Foods of the World" cookbooks. My mother had those books when I was a kid, and I started thumbing through a few of them, reminiscing. I found the pictorial instructions on how to shape the flower buns that I first learned from!

I know the text can't be read, so I'll type it up:

1. For each roll, pair two sliced rounds of dough, standing one on the other.
2. Push down firmly on each pair with a chopstick or blunt edge of a knife to press the rounds together.
3. Pinch both ends of the rounds together and pull them slightly away from one another.
4. Draw the ends of the rounds backward around the main part of the roll until they meet behind it.
5. Pinch the ends firmly together with your thumb and forefinger to secure them and keep the roll in shape.
6. Stand the roll pinched side down. It will look like a flower with teh oiled layers separated into petals.

That cookbook series was probably one of the main factors in firing me with a desire to explore, try, and learn to cook the foods of other cultures. The recipes were fairly authentic, a good variety was provided in every book, and they were filled with details about the countries, the peoples, and the cultures. Also plenty of color pictures of the food, the people and the scenery.

Oh wow Rachel thanks! That looks so cool, presentation would blow anyone away! I bet my kid would love to make them.

Is it this book: The cooking of China / by Emily Hahn and the editors of Time-Life Books

I can get it from my library.

Gotta be super careful how I phrase this.

Jessy, your... oh, oh.

I really like your... worse.

To heck with it. I just want to say that I think there is nothing wrong with a high bread to filling ratio in char siu bao. The filling is just a garnish.

And red... um, red is good. Very Chinese.

Jim

Yes, that's the book. The dough recipe is a different one from the one I gave you, but as I recall, it worked just fine. It's so strange, though, that so soon after posting about these rolls, I should just happen to flip open a book at a friend's house and see the instructions I remembered...I didn't even remember where I'd seen the instructions in the first place! [...theme from the twilight zone, sounding eerily in the background...]

Jessy has doughy buns, Jessy has doughy buns...

Jess, It just occurred to me that I'll bet ya gefilte fish would work as a filling. I love the stuff, which of course would be required of your family before attempting such a kosher chinese dish.

michaelp

That's awesome..Thanks!

Shelley

Oooh, fish buns! I bet you're right, that would work just fine. And I rather suspect there are many a Chinese grandma who's ears would perk up at the suggestion too.

After all, Chinese folks have their version of gefilte fish, steamed fish balls, and they like piquant and spicy things, so you could even put a bit of horseradish in with the fish and knock a Chinese grandma for a culinary loop! :D

Rachel, now that jimster and michael have chimed in, you do realize that you are now tainted by association with me, right?

Fish buns...sounds delish to me and hubs. I asked my adventurous DS #1 about the idea of gefilte fish steamed buns. He immediately went on a rant about the stuff being fit for cat food only.

Those cats don't know how good they have it.

Tainted? Oh well, I never understood the old saying about laying down with dogs, 'cause I love dogs and would rather lay down next to them than many people I know. :D

Well, gefilte fish is kind of an acquired taste. I never cared for it as a kid either. I ate it (because I ate anything), but had to slather it in horseradish. Of course, we only ever had the Manishevitz from a jar. As an adult, I had homemade at a friend's house and it was a totally different experience.